The Minnesota Women’s Consortium began after a group of women following action at the state capitol —the few women legislators, volunteer lobbyists, and staff of the then Council on the Economic Status of Women— met after a difficult legislative session in 1979. The groups had been helping each other informally, but an attendee said, “Wouldn’t it be great if we had a newsletter letting everybody know what is going on for women here?” More than 50 women, representing more than 25 separate organizations, showed up at the subsequent meeting at Kay Taylor’s house. The need for a joint calendar and shared information was great. The first Capitol Bulletin newsletter was issued in 1980, from a storefront office on University Avenue. The new organization operated on a shoestring with no paid staff for the first two years, but managed to host informational meetings, continue a weekly newsletter including the joint calendar, and provide office space to several emerging organizations – all functions which have continued ever since.
With support from member organizations, generous individuals, fundraising events and foundation grants, the Consortium has expanded its services and its reach over those 30 years and is now the largest and most diverse statewide network of women-focused groups in the nation, with 160 member organizations. We co-own a building two blocks from the Capitol which is home to 13 other small nonprofits, offering meeting space to dozens. Our mission is to connect organizations and individuals committed to achieving equality and justice for women and girls.
In recent years, the Consortium has tripled its reach by adding a weekly e-newsletter, two blogs, Facebook pages, and Twitter to our publications, along with special reports on Classism, Generational Differences, report from the Women’s Dreams Conference, and making the Minnesota Women’s Action Plan web-friendly, offering background, data, and links to member groups working on each of 40 women’s issues. Special projects of the past year included launching the Elder Economic Security Initiative (MinnEESI, or Elder-Nomics) which identifies the true cost of living for elders in Minnesota, hosting the First Latina Economic Forum bringing together this fastest-growing group of new Minnesotans, and launching a virtual networking and information resource for college-age women in Minnesota.
We are proud to have been honored by the Ann Bancroft Foundation in 2008, Community Shares Minnesota in 2009, and Century College in 2009.
